Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Michael John Foster (Labour). It was answered on Monday, 24 April 2006 on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Cricket

Question: In the run-up to 2012, will my right hon. Friend ensure that now cricket is not covered on terrestrial TV, it will be given special attention by his Department so that future cricketing success like last year's Ashes will be repeated and become the norm, and no longer just a rarity?

Answer: It would be wrong to run away from the question about broadcasting. Eighty per cent. of the investment that I alluded to came from television. The BBC did not put a bid on the table and some of the bids by other terrestrial channels were well below what had been put on the table by Sky, so the ECB were left with no other option but to accept. Had it not, the central contracts and investment in the grassroots that I mentioned would have been reduced. One cannot have it both ways.

Secondary information